Agitation separator



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.To all whom it may'cohcem': y

- Be 'it'known that I, ALEXA DER .Gow,

a citizen of the. United States, residing at Duluth, in the county ofSt. -Louis and 5 State of Minnesota,' have invented certain.

new and useful Improvements in Agitation" Separators, of which thefollowing is a specification. My invention comprises .means whereby .mmaterial composed of small particles may be subjected to agitation tofacilitate the separation from each other of particles of dif-- 'feringcharacteristics. The means is adapted to be used in connection withmaterial wherein the particles may differ in size,

shape, specific gravity ormagnetic permeability and is adapted toefi'ect the separation of unlike articles. In securing such separationit isighlydesirahle thata mass to or layer. of the material be shaken oragi-' tated. This idea of agitation has been heretofore used in a largenumber of devices, particulaihiiy inthose used for concentration of ore.y apparatus is particularly well adapted for such use, but I do notdesire to limit its application to such material as ores 'as it isobviously adapted broadly for use in producing agitation among particlesof any mass of material for any purpose,- as

so well as for use in separators adapted to separate material of.various kinds. I have found in the use of electro-mag nets energizedbyalternatin'g currents, that if a sheet of steel be movably supportedwithin the magnetic field, the fluctuation in the strength of that fieldwill cause the sheet of steel to vibrate and that this vibration. may bevaried in rapidity by a change in frequency of the alterations and inin- 40 tensity by variation in the strength of the magnetic field. Ifupon such a sheet-of steel particles of material are placed, they willrespond to the vibration and will bethrown lnto a state of intenseagitation and, if a thin stream of water he allowed to fiow over thesheet, the water may be agitated to such an extent that drops are thrownupward from the surface. By the use of this electro-magnetic means thefrequency of vibration may be varied within wide limits and theintensityof vibration may also be greatly varied. In the use of mechanical meanssuch as'cams, knockers, shakers, or other devices of like'character forproduc- 5e ing vibration or agitation the intensity and Applicationfiled November-.17, 1920. Serial No. 424,777.

rapidity of vibration are reatly limited for It is an (ifject of thepresent invention to provide'means adapted to separate materialcomprising particles, ofvarying characteristics and to'accomplish'that'separation with great rapidity and ease'of operation. It is I also anobject to. provide means'of the character described which is subject toready adjustment its operation through variation inrapidity andintensity of the vibration.-

It isfan additional object toprovide a device which is relatively simplein construcvery subject to wear an un rronar.

.mechanical reasons and t e parts undergo. such strains as to be andbreaka tion, durable in use, and relatively inexpensive of installation.Gther and further objects will appear as the descriptlon proceeds.

p I. have illustrated certain preferred embodiments of my inventioninthe accompanying-drawings in which- Figure -1 is a diagrammatic viewillustrat- 7 ing one 'form of'myadevice';

Figure 2 shows a somewhat modified form of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3- shows a form of-devi'ce utilizing In Figure 2 a plate 14formed with a plurality of transverse corrugations issupported upon thecolumns 15 and springs 16, the

plate being tilted to slope both transversely and longitudinally. Thehopper 17 is shown adjacent the upper most corner of plate 14 and theelectro-magnet 18 is shown adjacent the center of the underside of'theplate.

In Figl'ire 3 the belt conveyer 20 is car ried by'the rollers 21 and 22.The plate 23 is located adjacent the underside of the upper portion ofthe belt, the .plate being supported by the spring 24 from theelectro-magnet 25. The hopper 26 is placed adjacent the point where theupper portion of the belt starts its movement. As bestshown in Figure 4,the second conveyer belt 28 is carried by the rollers 29 and 30, thelower travel'of the belt being adjacent the upper surface of the belt20. The electro-magnets 31 and 32 are placed near the upper side of thelower portion of the belt 28.. The receiving hopper 33 is located at theright slde of the belt 20.

In Figure 5 the plate 34 is supported from the sprin s 35 and columns36, the plate sloping (Iownwardly to the right. The feed hopper 37 islocated adjacent the upper end of the plate and the discharge hopper. 38below the low end of the plate. The electro magnet 39 is located underthe central portion of the plate 34: and a rotary exahust fan 40 has itsintake 41 located above the central portion of the plate 34: and thusabove the electro-magnet 39.

In the form of the device shown in Figure 1 the frequency of thealternations in the current supplied to the magnet 9 is varied bychanging the speed of the motor 7 which consequently varies the speed ofthe dynamo ,8. The intensity of the magnetic field is varied by means ofthe rheostat 10 which varies the amount of current passing from thedynamo to the magnet.

I have shown the plate 11 as supported upon springs 12. I .have found,however, in practice that any .thin sheet of steel, even if rigidly heldat its corners, will have enough elasticity and freedom of movement tobe thrown into a state of intense vibration by a properly placed andproportioned electro-magnet or series of such magnets; Consetipently thesprings 12 are not essential alt ough their use may be desirable toincrease the intensity of the vibration with a given magnetic force.

\ If the layer of commiiiuted material or use of a plate of materialcomposed of small particles be placed on the plate 11 and the magnet 9be energized, the vibration of the plate will cause movement of -theparticles. This movement may create Stratification of the particlesaccording to their physical characteristics, or the frequency andamplitudeof the vibrations may be such that the particular material. issimply kept in a state of intense vibration.

In the form of the device shown in Figure 2 material is passed from thehopper 17 to the upper corne n -of plate 14. In the this 'characterplaced within the magnetic field and sloping in two directions, parallelto the line of corrugations or riflles, and at right angles thereto, amarked separation of the material occurs. The hghter particles tend togather at the bottom o the grooves and to flow lengthwise of thegrooves, while theheavier particles will tend to flow o'ver the tops ofthe corrugations and thus to move from rifile to riflle and in a now inuse, a tablehaving rillles is supplied with line material andwater andis placed upon an incline and caused to shake backwardly and forwardly,this action causing the heads to travel in the direction of the rifliesand the heads to separate therefrom. In the application of my inventionto tables of this general character I cause the table to vibrate in asubstantially vertical direction by means of magnets placed below thetable.

The amplitude of the vibration would be a slight and the rapidity veryhigh, their exact adjustment depending somewhat upon the nature of thematerial, but in any case it gives the particles a much betteropportunity to flow and to separate than they have with the present toand fro movingtables.

, In Figures 3 and 4 is shown a form of apparatus wherein the materialto be sep-' arated is notcarried directly by a vibrating plate. Thematerial is carried upon the belt conveyer 20 which is preferably formedof non-magnetic material, the belt being carried for a portion of itstravel in contact with the vibrating plate 23. The vibration of theplate is thus transmitted to the particles as they are carried past theplate upon the conveyer. This form of the device is of coursesusceptibleto use in connection with any form of separation which isfacilitated by agitation. In the particular 'form shown in the figures-I have shown it in connection with a device adapted for the separationof magnetic metallic ores or for the separation, of material of varyingmagnetic permeability. The second belt 28 travels at right angles acrossthe path of the belt 20 adjacent the vibrating portion of that belt. Theseries of electro-magnets 31 and- 32 are placed above the lower portionof the belt 28 and serve to attract the metallic particles contained inthe comminuted or pulverized ore passing on the belt 20.Theseametallimparticles are held by themagnets 31and 32 in contact withthe belt 28 and are thus carried by the movement of the belt and droppedinto the hopper 33 a't the endofthe magnetic field created by the seriesof magnets. The attraction of the metallic particles by the magnets 31and 32 is very greatly facilitated by the vibration set up in theparticles by the movement of the plate 23.

In the form of the device shown in Figure 5, the material dropsfromthehopper 37 and passes down the slope of the plate 34 due to gravity andassisted by the' vibration caused by the ma et 39. Theexhaust intake 41located ad acent the portion of most intense vibration draws oil thelighter particle sfwhile the heavier particles-i pass downward and aredeposited in the hopper 38. Obviously the exhaust it made sufficientlystrong will draw off all of the material. By, careful adjustment of theamplitude and rapidity of the vibration and of the strength of theexhaust, practically any desired separation may be effected.

It'i's to be understood that all of the showings in the drawings arediagrammatic in character and that the number of magnets parts and.substitution ofequivalents as cir cumstances may suggest or renderexpedient, without departing from the spirit of my invention. Forexample, instead of an alternating current, an interrupted orfluctuating direct current may be used to energize the magnets.

I claim:

1. Separation apparatus comprising a plate, means located adjacent oneface of the plate adapted to" produce amagnetic field,

and means adapted to fluctuatethe strength of the field, the variationin strength serving to vibrate the plate and a conveyor adapted to movein contact with the plate, the conveyer being adapted to carry thematerial to be separated,

2. Separation apparatus comprising a plate, means located-adjacent oneface of the plate adapted. to'produce a magnetic field, and meansadapted to fluctuate the strength. ofthe field,v the variation instrength serving to vibrate the plate, and

a non-magnetic conveyer belt adapted to ..1nove in contact with theplate, the conveyer being adapted to carry the material to be separated.

w 4 3. Separatmn' apparatus comprlsing a conveyer adapted to carry thematerial to be separated, a plate located in "contact with a portion ofthe conveyer, and means adapted to vibrate the plate, a second-conveyertraveling adjacent the first conveyer aud means adapted to selectivelytransfer material from the first to the second conveyer.

o 4. Separation apparatus comprising. a

conveyer adapted to carry material to be separated, a plate locatedincontact: with ,a portion of the conveyer, means'located adjacent the'plate" adapted -to produce a strength-serving to" vibratetheplat'e'ga'nd thereby to vibrate the conveyer, a second conveyertraveling adjacent thefi'rst conveyer and means, adapted to selectivelytransfer material from the first to the sec ond conveyer.

5. Separation apparatus comprising. a

con \eyer adapted to carry the material to be separated. a plate locatedin contact with a portion of the conveyer, means located adjacent theplate adapted to produce amagmagneticfield, means adapted to fluctuatethe strength of the field, the fluctuation in strength serving tovibrate the p ate and thereby to vibrate the conveyer, and means adaptedto vary the rapidity 'and the amplitude of the fluctuations, a secondconveyer traveling adjacent the first conveyer.

and means adapted 'to selectively transfer material from the first tothe second conve er.

Separator apparatus comprising a nonmagnetic belt conveyer adapted. tocarry the material 'to be separated, a plate located in contact-With theunder side of a portion of the conveyer, electro-magnetic means locatedadjacent the plate,- means adapted to fluctuate the strength of themagnetic means, the fluetuationg serving to vibrate the plate andthereby to vibrate the conveyer and the material thereon, a secondconveyer traveling in spaced relation to the upper face of the firstconveyer, electro-magnetic means located above a portion'of the secondconveyer and adapted to attract v magnetic particles from the mainghopper located adjacent vthe end of the magnetic field of the upperconveyer and adapted to receive material released therefrom.

I si day of November, 1920.

. ALEXANDER M. GOW.

gned atDuluth, Minnesota, this 11th

